Q. I have heard that distillation may not be perfect for water purification because some chemicals found in water have a lower evaporation temperature than water. This could result in those products being transported into the distilled water.

A. There are an extremely few Heavy Metals that when in a liquid solution have a vapor weight that is as light as or lighter than Water Steam Vapor and will in fact rise from the surface of the liquid and be transported from the Distiller Boiling Chamber along with the Water Steam Vapor.

Such Volatile Gases are dealt with in 2 ways. First, by a vent in the Distiller Condensing Coil that discharges such gases into the atmosphere, and secondly -- if any such Volatile Gases should pass through the Distiller Condensing Coil -- the gases are eliminated by an Activated Carbon [Charcoal] Post-Filter through which the Distilled Water flows before passing into the collection container.

There is virtually no chance of ever encountering any of the rare forms of heavy metals that produce such Volatile Gases, since they are normally found only around industrial waste dumps from which such heavy metals can leach into ground water.

If you do live in an area where such heavy metals are found in a water well or city tap water, and if they are present in your hot water supply and form Volatile Gases, such gases are merely bled-off and escape into the room when you turn on a hot water faucet in a sink, tub or shower or use your washing machine or dishwasher. Such Volatile Gases are harmless, unless ingested with food or water.

Since the EPA and other regulatory agencies consider these rare forms of Heavy Metals as a health hazard, the manufacturers of Steam Water Distillers must provide the means of effectively dealing with the potential problem to satisfy both the regulators and users alike -- and to protect the manufacturer against law suits, regardless how rare such Heavy Metals are, and how unlikely it is that they will ever be encountered or ingested in Distilled Water.

In the case of the Pure Survival e-Still [Non-Electric Steam Water Distiller] that does not have a Condensing Coil from which to bleed-off any such Volatile Gases, the problem is solved by the use of an Activated Carbon [Charcoal] Post-Filter that slips over the discharge tube of the e-Still --thus eliminating any Volatile Gases that might be present in the Distilled Water.

Q. What about Chlorine?

A. Chlorine is easily dealt with by a Steam Water Distiller. In fact, Chlorine is normally eliminated long before the water reaches the Distiller through the use of Water Treatment Devices such as an Activated Carbon [Charcoal] Filter or Water Softener -- both of which eliminate the Chlorine by De ionization or Adsorption.

Adsorption by Granulated Activated Carbon [GAC] is regarded as the most effective water treatment in removing many types of soluble organic materials in drinking water. Not only are GAC's important in the adsorption of organic chemicals, but they also improve the aesthetics in producing high quality water -- Taste, Color & Odor.

Since ALL types of filters -- including Granulated Activated Carbon [GAC] -- TRAP but DO NOT KILL bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, a GAC filter should only be used with Input Water that has been pretreated with Chlorine and/or Other Chemicals, and is free of microorganisms

Q. Also the minerals that are good in water are lost. What's your opinion on
this?

A. This fallacy is just another Old Wives' Tale, such as the erroneous belief that water conducts electricity, which it doesn't. It's the impurities in the water that conduct electricity. Since Distilled Water is Pure Sterile Water with nothing else present, it does not conduct electricity.

Back to the fallacy about minerals. You get your essential minerals from the food you eat -- not the water your drink. In fact, you would have to drink a whole bath tub full of hard water to get the minerals that are found in just 1 carrot!

Q. Also I have seen some filters that also have silver and iodine in the filter to kill the bacteria and viruses. Have you heard of this form of filtration? Is it effective?

A. Yes -- Iodine & Colloidal Silver Solution are sometimes used as a claimed method of killing bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms as Post-Treatment of filters and Reverse Osmosis (RO) Membranes; which, by their very nature become contaminated with microorganisms

ALL filters - of which a Reverse Osmosis Membrane is actually a filter - TRAP but DO NOT KILL bacteria, viruses, protozoa and other forms of microorganisms.

Therefore, ALL filters become a BREEDING GROUND for microorganisms that quickly reproduce and create high surface tension pressures that eventually allows the microorganisms to force themselves through all types of filters, including the microscopic openings of a RO Membrane Filter - resulting in the End Product of "Treated Water" being even more highly contaminated with bacteria, virus and other pollutants than the Raw Untreated Water you began with.

To get around these Indisputable Adverse Limiting Factors of Filtration & Reverse Osmosis Systems, some manufacturers provide Post-Use Disinfectant of their products by employing Iodine or Colloidal Silver Solution to kill the microorganisms that are invariably trapped and reproduce inside the filter and RO membrane.

While Iodine & Colloidal Silver are excellent disinfectants, their use in this particular application cannot possibly be 100% effective in that the entire Filter or RO Membrane would have to be totally immersed in such disinfectant for a considerable length of time to kill all the microorganisms.

In addition, the Filter or RO Membrane Housing would have to be completely disinfected - as would the overall system that consists of the Pumping/Pressurization Mechanism, the Inlet Line for Raw Untreated Water, and the Outlet Line for discharge of the Treated Water that the user assumes is Purified Water.

While TOTAL IMMERSION of a Filter or RO Membrane in an Iodine or Colloidal Silver Solution may be capable of killing most microorganisms over a prolonged length of time, THE ENTIRE SYSTEM [Filter, Filter Housing, Pumping/Pressurization Mechanism & Associated Water Lines] MUST ALSO be kept full of the Iodine or Colloidal Silver Solution for a considerable period of time in order to be effective.

When one visualizes the extensive system and large quantity of Iodine or Colloidal Silver that is needed for Post-Use Disinfectant of Filters & RO Membranes, Filter Housing, Water Lines etc, you not only see how complicated the procedure is -- but how expensive it can become in the cost of the additional mechanism for Post-Use Disinfectant and in the cost of the Iodine or Colloidal Silver Solution.

In any event, ALL Filters & Reverse Osmosis Membranes must be periodically replaced, at considerable cost and inconvenience in removing and installing the replacement Filter or RO Membrane.

By contrast, ALL Steam Distillation Systems are Self-Sterilizing - whether they be Non-Electric or Electric, since Steam is Steam regardless how produced -- and All Steam provides sterilization, just as used to sterilize surgical instruments in an parenting room.

All that is needed for a Steam Water Distiller to Self-Sterilize itself, is to allow the initial batch of Raw Contaminated Water to boil and produce Steam Vapor that sterilizes the inside of the Distiller Condensing Coil, any other Associated Tubing & Discharge Spout.

To Self-Sterilize ANY Steam Water Distillation System, you merely let the Steam Vapor flow through the entire system [Condensing Coil, Tubing and Discharge Spout] for a period of 15-20 minutes and discard the initial batch of water that is produced.

Since the Distillation System has now been Self-Sterilized, the second and subsequent batches that you produce will be Pure Sterile Distilled Water - and will remain sterile as long as the water is stored in a container that -- along with the cap -- have both been sterilized to make certain that no bacteria or other microorganisms are present to reproduce in the stored water.

FILTERS AND REVERSE OSMOSSIS

1. Filters & Reverse Osmosis (RO) ARE NOT considered by the EPA as methods of Water PURIFICATION - but only as Water TREATMENT.

2. Filters & Reverse Osmosis Membranes - TRAP but DO NOT KILL Bacteria, Viruses, Protozoa and Other Microorganisms.

3. Filters & Reverse Osmosis Membranes must be periodically replaced - at considerable expense and inconvenience.

4. Post-Treatment of Filters & Reverse Osmosis Membranes by Iodine or Colloidal Silver Solution is expensive - and requires a complicated dispensing system at additional cost to the buyer.

STEAM WATER DISTILLATION

1. Steam Water Distillation is recognized by the U.S. EPA as Water PURIFICATION - whereas Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Filtration only provide Water TREATMENT.

2. The effectiveness of Steam Water Distillation remains constant at the 99.9% purification level -- and its performance does not decline, as with Reverse Osmosis & Filtration.

3. ALL Steam Distillation Systems are Self-Sterilizing without any additional cost for such capability.

4. A Steam Water Distillation System only requires Minimal Maintenance in keeping the Boiling Chamber & Heating Element free of sludge & scale. Through the use of a Sediment Filter and a Water Softener to remove Hardness Minerals in the Source Water, ALL of the scale-causing minerals are kept from entering the Boiling Chamber - thus minimizing the need for cleaning and maintenance, and keeping the Heating Element at maximum performance effectiveness by preventing it from becoming encrusted with scale that reduces its electrical efficiency.